The Walnut Creek Oral History Project:
Where People and Wetlands Matter

Welcome to the Walnut Creek Oral History Project. This page has been added to the Plants and Soils of Walnut Wetlands website as part of a service learning project by eighth graders at Exploris Middle School. This web page is about the relationship between the land and the people who live near Walnut Creek in the Rochester Heights community. During the fall of 2006, students interviewed citizens of the Rochester Heights and neighboring Biltmore Hills communities who are trying to make a positive change in their community. Over the years the community has suffered from flooding problems and trash dumping caused by development in and near the wetlands. Working together with Partners for Environmental Justice, a community action group, citizens of these communities have increased the City’s awareness of issues in the area. They are now working with the City on a long-range plan to preserve the wetlands and to build an environmental education center that will allow students and people of all ages to enjoy this beautiful natural resource that lies inside the beltline of Raleigh.